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Exclusively Pumping and Oversupply. HELP!!!

Greetings everyone!
I have been EPing my 2.5 month-old daughter basically since birth. I've tried three different lactation consultants to get her to latch on properly but that just didn't happen because of my badly inverted nipples, so I am determined to EP as long as I have milk. But I just have too much of it!
I pump 6 times a day - which is the number of times I feed her, I usually pump about 4.2 oz per session (which is what our doctor says she needs per feeding at this age). But my breasts are almost always full and sore and hurt. I think I could pump twice that amount per feeding. (I usually pump from breast A at one feeding and breast B the next). I feel like I am going to burst. I've had two cases of mastitis already and lots of plugged ducts. I know I should only pump as little as possible until relief because if I pump more it will only tell my body to produce even more, so often times I cannot wait for the next pumping session, I wait for it like it were the best thing in my life, staring at the clock, waiting for the next session. What can I do? Sage tea helps me some, I usually drink two cups a day and it's ok for the next 2-3 days but then it goes back to huge breasts and physical and psychological discomfort.
So my questions are:
1) how to reduce milk supply
2) should i continue drinking sage tea - because I am afraid that my body will just get used to it and sage will no longer work to reduce supply
3) are there any meds to take? bromocreptine? (though i read that it can have bad side effects).
please help. I know it's bad of me, but I just cannot wait for this whole breasfeeding/pumping thing to be over and for me to stop worriying about my brests and become a FREE person at last...

Re: Exclusively Pumping and Oversupply. HELP!!!

I have never BTDT with EP'ing and oversupply, but if it were me I think I'd probably express until "empty" at each session and freeze any excess, instead of aiming to pump just the right amount for a feeding. The reason being that most mamas will hit sort of a "plateau" with EP and output at some point down the road and while things can be done to increase supply, it won't be as effective as increased nursing would have been. You'll probably be happy to have some spare "stash" at some point in the future!

I'm sure other mamas who have done it before will chime in with more advice.

MTA: Have you thought about trying a double pump? You'd be able to pump both breasts at the same time which might help with some of the discomfort. I imagine you do get pretty full if you only do one breast per session. That is the right way to go about reducing supply normally but I wonder if some of feeling like you have too much milk is because you are only trying to express enough for each feed?

Last edited by @llli*sentimental.geek; February 18th, 2010 at 06:14 AM.

Mama of two precious girls DD1 born 23 July 2008 andDD2 born 14 January 2010

Re: Exclusively Pumping and Oversupply. HELP!!!

I agree with PP, also, for the discomfort, try Ice packs or cold cabbage leaves. I've heard lots of people tell me that cabbage leaves help, just stick them in your bra around your breast. . . hth

Hi, I'm Cyndie. Married my , Tony.

Lydia--15 mo and still nursing

Brenden--6.5 yo bf for 6 months

Preston (SS)--13.5 yo

Brittany--12.5 yo bf for 6 weeks

"You are not a pacifier; you are a Mom. You are the sun, the moon, the earth, you are liquid love, you are warmth, you are security, you are comfort in the very deepest aspect of the meaning of comfort.... but you are not a pacifier!" -- Paula Yount

Re: Exclusively Pumping and Oversupply. HELP!!!

1) how to reduce milk supply

I think the PPs gave some excellent advice. But if you really want to reduce supply, you're going about it the right way. The longer you can go without pumping, and the less you pump, the more your body should get the message that the milk it's making isn't needed, and that the time has come to reduce supply.

2) should i continue drinking sage tea - because I am afraid that my body will just get used to it and sage will no longer work to reduce supply

I would keep drinking it. Peppermint is also supposed to help reduce supply.

3) are there any meds to take? bromocreptine? (though i read that it can have bad side effects).

No idea about bromocreptine, but I have heard that Sudafed can reduce supply, and that's pretty safe...

Re: Exclusively Pumping and Oversupply. HELP!!!

thank you for your quick reply! well yes, I do try to pump only enough for each feed, but isn't it what you are supposed to do? I mean if I am already so full just by pumping enough for each feed, if I increase the amount of milk I pump, won't my body think that I need even more? that's what I am afraid of. I do have a stash of frozen milk in the freezer - enough to last for 6 days - I think that should be enough in case I have a sudden drop in supply and until I manage to bring it back up? thank you!

Re: Exclusively Pumping and Oversupply. HELP!!!

Been there done that

Hi, I'm Cyndie. Married my , Tony.

Lydia--15 mo and still nursing

Brenden--6.5 yo bf for 6 months

Preston (SS)--13.5 yo

Brittany--12.5 yo bf for 6 weeks

"You are not a pacifier; you are a Mom. You are the sun, the moon, the earth, you are liquid love, you are warmth, you are security, you are comfort in the very deepest aspect of the meaning of comfort.... but you are not a pacifier!" -- Paula Yount

Re: Exclusively Pumping and Oversupply. HELP!!!

well yes, I do try to pump only enough for each feed, but isn't it what you are supposed to do?

Yes. And if you can phase even that out- skip a pumping session as often as possible, or at least pump the minimum at every session- you should see more rapid reduction in supply.

I mean if I am already so full just by pumping enough for each feed, if I increase the amount of milk I pump, won't my body think that I need even more?

Yes.

I do have a stash of frozen milk in the freezer - enough to last for 6 days - I think that should be enough in case I have a sudden drop in supply and until I manage to bring it back up?

I think that sounds like a decent stash. But since you're EPing the size of your stash is something to be cautious with, as the pump tends not to be as effective as the baby is at maintaining and increasing supply. So it's possible that you could get into a situation where your supply would drop too low and it would end up being harder than you expect to bring it back.

Re: Exclusively Pumping and Oversupply. HELP!!!

I found that when I EPed I overproduced a lot too. The pain and leaking just went away after awhile though, even though my supply didn't go down. I second donation though if you have extra milk since milkbanks are so short now.

Beth

Exclusively pumped for Lance Oct 07
Nursed until just before he turned 3 Levi Oct 09

Do you have extra milk? Consider donating!http://www.hmbana.org/:
"So I was welcomed by the consolations of human milk; but it was not my mother or my nurses who made any decision to fill their breasts, but you who through them gave me infant food, in accordance with your ordinance and the riches which are distributed deep in the natural order." -St Augustine